Scott & Penelope IV: One Small Step for Students
by n5d25d90
Summary: After finding one of Billy's yearbooks, Scott asks Mandy about their prom, graduation, and a moment that changed both their lives.  Rated T because someone, though unimportant, dies from drug overdose.
1. Chapter 1

This next installment is going to tell you a little more about some events that happened between the show and "present day". It doesn't tell you exactly how Billy and Mandy fall in love, though, but it does tell you how they end up together.

I own Scott and Penelope. Adam Burton owns everyone else.

-1-

Mandy snored loudly as she slept in the recliner, startling Scott, who was walking up to her with a book.

"Hey, Mom?" Scott asked as he tugged on his mother's shirt (you have to admire his courage).

Mandy stirred. "Wha…?"

"Hey, Mom?" Scott repeated. "What's a yearbook?"

Mandy was wide awake now. "Is it mine or your dad's?"

"Dad's," Scott answered.

"Oh…thank God…" Mandy muttered under her breath. She did NOT want Scott to see what Irwin wrote in her yearbooks. "A yearbook is a book students from middle and high school get at the end of the year to remember all the stupid things from the past year."

"So…Dad's in it a lot?"

"Surprisingly, no…but Mindy's in it a lot…"

Scott looked inside the yearbook. A lot of comments were in Billy's yearbook, mostly in the inside covers instead of the autographs section **(A/N: Why people don't sign there, I don't know)**.

Some of the comments were as follows:

"_Hello, Meet! Cant you beleev this year is finaly over? And next year, were senyors! Get ready for hundreds of wejeez Billy (its good scool spirit). Sperg."_

"_Yo, Billy! What's happenin', mah brotha? Can't wait 'til next year! Yo homey Irwin."_

"_Hey, Big Nose. I signed your stupid yearbook, so quit asking me. And…wipe the drool off these pages for God's sake. Mandy."_

"_Hey, Big Nose. Quit asking me to sign your freaking yearbook! Mandy."_

"_Hey, Bi"_

"Why is that one unfinished?" Scott asked.

"I started writing and then punched him in the face," Mandy said monotonously.

Scott nodded and looked through the students section for the juniors (where his parents would be in). He saw Billy's picture. "Geez, didn't he ever use zit cream?"

Mandy shook her head.

Scott found Mandy's picture. "Hey, you look nice in this picture, Mom."

"Thanks."

"You're the only one not smiling, though."

"Do YOU ever smile?"

"More than you."

"True."

Scott continued to look at the yearbook. "Okay…why the heck are they doing that?"

"Because it's 'fun'."

"Looks stupid to me."

"I thought so, too."

About a half an hour later, they were done, but Scott had one question for Mandy.

"Can you tell me about your school days?"


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, here comes the next chapter! I own Scott and Penelope. Everyone else is owned by a guy that made a segment of an extremely OOC little girl trying to get her idiot friend to drill a hole through his head…or something like that…in college.

-2-

Mandy was startled by the question. "Uh…okay. Like what?"

"Did you go to any dances?"

Mandy sighed. "Yes." She secretly hoped Scott wouldn't ask that.

"What kind of dances?"

"What? Do you mean like Prom?"

"Yeah."

Mandy bit her lip, trying to think of how to answer the question. Finally, she spoke up. "I didn't go to Junior Prom. Irwin kept begging me and no one else even asked. But in my senior year, someone did ask me besides Irwin…"

"Dad?"

Mandy nodded and continued. "He finally got the courage to ask me out. So we went. We didn't dance. We just sat in the corner talking the whole time. As a prank, Mindy tried to rig the poll so Bill and I would be the next prom king and queen so we'd have to dance, but her plot failed."

"So…you weren't king and queen?"

"Oh, no. We were. We just refused to dance."

"Oh."

"That night he drove me home," she continued, "and before I left the car, he kissed me."

"Ew."

"I know. That was my first reaction, too. But then I realized that that was all I really wanted: the boy I secretly liked to like me back."

"Corny."

"Shut up."

"What about graduation?"

"These questions keep coming, don't they?"

Penelope walked in. "What's going on?"

"Mom's telling me a story," Scott replied.

"Ooh! Can I hear it?"

"Ugh…" Mandy groaned. "Very well… Here's the story about my graduation…"

-X-

Billy giggled as he put on a blue gown and graduation hat **(A/N: If there's a specific name for them, I have no idea what it is)**. "I can't believe we're graduating, Mandy!"

"I can't believe YOU'RE graduating," Mandy said.

"Oh, Irwin did all my homework," Billy said proudly. "Didn't ya know that?"

"Why would he do all your homework?"

"Because I promised I'd someday get him and you together on a date," he grinned.

"**WHAT?!"**

"Chill, Mandy!" Billy cried. "I'm not really gonna do that! I wouldn't!"

Mandy's fury left her. "Good boy. I guess you learned something from me after all."

"Do I gets a doggy treat?"

"…No…" She put on her hat. "Are you scared, Billy?"

"No. Why? Are you?"

"No, but I thought you would be. Once we get out of here, we're on our own. Heck, we may never even see each other again."

Billy rolled his eyes. "That's nonsense! Of course we'll see each other again! We're like…like…two bees in an iPod!"

"Don't you mean 'two peas in a pod'?"

"Hee hee hee hee hee! You said 'pee'…"

"…You're an idiot."

"I know. But like I was saying, we're practic-ably in-cereal-able!"

"Practically inseparable?"

Billy nodded furiously. "Yea-yea-yea-yea-yea!"

Mandy sighed. "Life isn't always that simple, Billy, but don't worry, okay? I'm not going out-of-state for college, so I'm sure we'll get to hang out a little."

"Who said I was worried?" Billy asked. "Now, come on. Grab your Silly String and let's go!" He ran out of the room with his own can.

Mandy rolled her eyes and grabbed the can. "I hate this ritual. This'll take forever to get out of my hair," she mumbled as she left the room.


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own anything in this chapter. All the characters in this chapter are owned by a guy who originally imagined Grim with a British accent but he's not complaining.

Sorry for the shortness.

-3-

The students were seated in an array of fold-up chairs, awaiting the valedictorian speech.

Mandy got up from her chair. She wouldn't admit it, but she _was_ scared, but not because she'd be standing in front of so many people. She was scared because she knew that after this she wouldn't be a kid anymore. She'd have to go to some college miles away from Endsville. But, the thing she was most afraid of happened to be the exact same thing she thought Billy would be afraid of.

Will they ever see each other again?

Mandy walked up to the podium to give her valedictorian speech.

"As we, the class of…" The microphone gave off a little feedback. "…finally finish up our lives as idiotic students, we look forward to becoming idiotic adults."

This resulted in laughter from the masses of people surrounding the graduates. Mandy, however, didn't see what was so funny. She was serious.

Mandy continued. "I would not say that I enjoyed school, but then again who does? But I know I'll miss these last few years, for now I'll have to work... The years of childhood innocence are gone, but the memories will last forever…or until Sperg loses most of his brain cells from chair shots if he really does become a pro-wrestler."

The crowd laughed again, and once again Mandy couldn't see what was so funny.

"Finally, I would like to congratulate each and every one of you…except Mindy," she said, muttering the last part under her breath, "and hope you all have a great life…except Mindy," she finished, once again muttering the last part. "Thank you."

The crowd clapped as she left the stage and sat in her chair in front of Billy.

"Good job," Billy whispered to her.

Mandy blushed slightly. "Uh…thanks…"

At long last, the students got their diplomas and sprayed the ceremonial Silly String.

Mandy walked up to her parents and nodded, signaling that she'd like to go home.

As she and her family walked through the parking lot, Mandy heard a familiar voice:

"Mandy! Wait up!"

Mandy turned around. "What is it, Billy?"

Billy pulled some Silly String out of his hair. "I'm gonna miss you, Mandy."

The blonde blushed. "Uh…I'm going to miss you, too, Billy…"

He grinned and wrapped his arms around her. "Have fun in cool-udge."

"I will," she said, her facial expression still unmoved, though her blush was deeper and her voice slightly cracked up. "Take care, Billy."

Billy nodded and let go. "Bye."

Mandy nodded back and entered her dad's car. Billy waved them off before going back inside, his eyes not leaving the ground for a second.


	4. Chapter 4

There's one thing I would like to say before I start the chapter.

If someone says my work is OOC, I don't give a crap. It's not going to critique me or anything. This is my fanfiction, so whatever I say goes. Also, the way I see it, since this takes place in the future, it could possibly be character development. It works in real life, too. After all, I used to be pretty immature and somewhat idiotic. Now, I'm usually on the honor roll.

I own Scott and Penelope…and apparently the druggie. Maxwell House…I mean, Atoms…owns any characters I don't own.

-4-

"Wait…so…how did you and Dad get together?" Scott asked.

"Ugh! Maybe I should tell you my entire life story while I'm at it," Mandy snarled.

"This is the last question, I swear! I really wanna know!" Scott said excitedly.

"Yeah! Me too!" Penelope cheered.

"Oh, alright…" Mandy groaned. "If it gets you two to shut up…" She cleared her throat. "It all started one day in college. My roommate…well, let's just say she wasn't the best role model…"

-X-

Mandy woke up yet again to a fog of smoke. "Dang it, girl! You know that crap's bad for you! Take it outside!"

"I'll do whatever I want! It's my body!"

"Well, I have a body, too, and I don't want to die from second-hand smoke!"

"But it's not a cigarette; it's…"

"Marijuana, I know," Mandy said, getting up. "And your point is? And why do you smoke that crap? It's not even legal!" As she expected, her roommate didn't listen. Mandy sighed and left the room. _What the heck happened to me? I used to strike fear in everyone's hearts, and now I can't even get a druggie to listen to me! Ugh…whatever happened to the good old days, where everything was my way or the highway, and it was just me, Grim, and…_

Mandy stopped in her tracks and sighed again. Just thinking about him made her feel somewhat depressed. She tried denying it, but she couldn't: she missed him. Bad.

Later that day, her roommate died of drug and alcohol overdose.

Of course, Mandy didn't know it at the time. She was in class taking notes for a big test coming up. Finally, the bell rang, and she left, books in hand.

She walked up to her dorm. Before she opened the door, she heard some voices.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into bringing you here."

"Aw, come on! I wanted to watch you take another one again! Think of it as…uh…Bring-Your-Best-Friend-to-Work-Day!"

"Since when do **YOU** t'ink?"

Mandy gasped. Of course, she didn't know who was in there. She thought there were thieves or kidnappers or…even **WORSE** in her dorm room.

Slowly, she opened the door. Not much: just enough to see what was going on.

All she could see was the back of a black robe.

"Drug overdose," the one in the robe said, checking his list. "What de heck's da matter wit' people deez days, Bill?"

The other one made a noise that sort of sounded like how someone would say "I dunno".

Mandy was shocked. "No…it couldn't be…"

She opened the door wide enough to confirm her answer. She now saw the owner of the other voice: red-orange hair, white dress shirt, blue jeans, and black shoes. She could see the side of his humongous pink nose.

The red-head heard the door creak. He turned to the door and gasped.

"Did ya say somet'ing, Bill?" the robed figure asked.

The red-head poked him in the shoulder and pointed toward the door.

The robed figure turned to the door and groaned. "Oh, you've got to be ki--"

"Mandy!" Billy cried as he ran toward her. "What are yous doin' here?" he asked, embracing her in a hug.

Mandy rolled her eyes. "This is my dorm."

Billy let go. "Oh…uh…sorry about your…uh…roommate…"

"That's okay," Mandy said. "She got what was coming to her."

"Oh…okay…" He paused for a moment. "Say…do yous have anymore classes today?"

"No. Why?"

"Well, do you wanna hang out with us then?"

Grim groaned again. "What?"

"Sure, why not?" Mandy shrugged. "It'll be just like old times..."


	5. Chapter 5

Another short one. Hopefully the epilogue makes up for it.

I don't own crap…except for Scott and Penelope…

-5-

That summer, Billy proposed to Mandy. I'm not going to explain how; I'll just let you imagine what happened.

It was the most shocking experience of both their lives. It was shocking to Mandy because he proposed to HER of all people, and it was shocking to Billy because she said "Yes." Actually, it was probably much more shocking to Billy because she was smiling a lot afterwards. Heck, she probably smiled more that day than she ever did in her entire life.

And yet the universe doesn't look like a Craig McCracken parody.

-X-

"Aww…" Penelope cooed. "Such a cute story!"

"…Shut up," Mandy groaned.

"Thanks for telling us the story, Mom," Scott said.

"Eh…" Mandy shrugged.

"Got anymore stories?" Penelope asked.

"Uh…why don't you go see what Dad's doing?"

"Okay!" Penelope shouted as she and Scott left.

"Oy oy oy," Mandy groaned as she slumped in her recliner. "Kids…"

"Dat was a very sweet story, Mandy."

The blonde looked to her left. "And just how long were **you** standing there?"

Grim shrugged. "A while, I guess. It's hard to believe dat when you were little you were such a pain in de…"

"I can still be one, you know."

Grim's eye sockets shrunk and he nodded. "Right." He silently walked off.

Mandy sighed and picked up the forgotten yearbook, which fell on the floor during her story. She looked at the photos of her classmates. That's when she noticed something she didn't even notice before, even earlier when she and Scott were looking right at it.

There was a thin pencil-drawn heart around her picture.

It was barely noticeable, which must've been why she didn't see it before. Scott's constant talking must've made her overlook it.

Mandy looked at that heart for about two minutes before finally closing the book. Making sure no one was looking, she flashed a quick smile before falling back asleep in her recliner.

-X-

IT'S EPILOGUE TIME AGAIN! YAAAAAAAAAY! (Pass the chips.)

"So, Penelope…what have we learned?" Scott asked.

"Um…we learned how Mom and Dad got back together."

"We also learned that if it wasn't for someone dying of drug overdose, we wouldn't be born, which is kind of sad…"

"OOH! OOH! You know what else we learned?"

"What?"

Penelope shook a can of Silly String and sprayed Scott with it.

"This stuff's hard to get out of your hair!"


End file.
